Fighters never like to look past the guy standing directly in front of them, but former Canadian cruiserweight champ Ryan Henney can't help it.

"I don't think I've ever been more ready or more committed to proving myself," the Saskatoon-based Henney said yesterday.

"You can only afford so many mistakes in this game, and I used one up the last time I fought in Edmonton. I'm not going to let that happen again."

Henney lost his title when he dropped a unanimous decision to Frank White of Sarnia, Ont., at the Shaw Conference Centre last June.

The fact he sustained a torn rotator cuff halfway through the fight clearly limited his effectiveness, but he refuses to use that as an excuse.

"Frank won fair and square ... although clearly I wasn't 100%," said Henney (11-3, 6 KOs), who will square off with Winnipeg's Kareem Chartrand (7-5-1, 4 KOs) in the co-main event on KO Boxing's Jan. 24 Back to Business card at the Shaw.

"I originally hurt the shoulder against (Alvaro) Enriquez a couple of months earlier, but I thought it would be OK. I never took any time off to let it heal, and that was a big mistake.

"Still, I know I didn't look good against Frank. I was slow and I was distracted by stuff going on in my life outside the ring. When you see the film, I'm even yapping at the referee. I never do that! I should've just let my fists do the talking, but I didn't."

Although he's focused on Chartrand -- who was knocked out by White in November -- Henney is already plotting his strategy for regaining the Canadian title and getting a shot at the WBA Canada crown.

"This (Jan. 24) fight was supposed to be a rematch with White, but he backed out," said Henney.

"That's fine -- but sooner rather than later the (Canadian Boxing) Federation is going to have to order him to defend the title against either me or (Kevin) Reynolds.

"I've beaten both those guys, and I've also got a win over (James) Cermak, who's the No. 4-ranked contender.

"That should mean I get the first crack at rematch with Frank. If not, I'll beat either Reynolds or Cermak again, which will force White's hand. And once I get the Canadian title back, I can go after the WBA Canada belt and maybe use that to get some fights down south."

As for Chartrand, who twice had White in trouble before he was stopped in the seventh round, Henney isn't planning to leave anything to chance.

"Guys like him are actually more dangerous than pure punchers because they can make you look bad," Henney said.

"He'll be in survival mode, looking for an opening to do something, so I'll have to press the action.

"That's why it's dangerous. He just has to react, but any mistakes I make will really be magnified.

"The bottom line is that I've gotta look good. Period. I can't afford another sub-par outing. I owe it to myself, and to the fans in Edmonton who have been so supportive. They're going to see the real Ryan Henney on Jan. 24."